Lebanon, Syria vow to keep up coordination

Lebanese President hails 'privileged relations with Syria' as two countries vow to 'work together'.

DAMASCUS - The Lebanese and Syrian presidents vowed during talks in Damascus on Thursday to keep up coordination between the two Arab neighbors amid signs of improved ties.

Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Michel Sleiman of Lebanon met just three days after the formation of a unity government in Beirut following almost five months of tough negotiations.

The two leaders reviewed "the positive developments which have recently taken place in Lebanon," especially the new cabinet, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.

Assad called for the rival parties in Lebanon "to take advantage of this positive atmosphere and to continue dialogue so as to strengthen Lebanese understanding and unity as a basis for stability."

Sleiman, on a second visit to Damascus since his May 2008 election, hailed "the privileged relations with Syria, which are in the interests of Lebanon," SANA reported.

The presidents agreed to "continue consultations, coordination and cooperation."

In Beirut, the presidency said the two leaders "stressed that they share the same point of view as concerns regional and international issues" and would "work together at all levels and in all domains."

On Monday, Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri formed a national unity government with the powerful resistance group Hezbollah.

The winning alliance headed by Hariri won 71 seats in the 128-member parliament in the election against 57 for the opposition led by Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah opposition had actually secured the majority (52%) of the votes in Lebanon, but could not secure a majority of Parliamentary seats (it won 45%) because of the nature of the sectarian government system in the country.

Hezbollah, originally a resistance group formed to counter an Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, had forced the Israeli military out of Lebanon in 2000. Israel, however, continues to occupy the Lebanese Shabaa Farms.

On Thursday, Hariri received a congratulations telegram from his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Naji Otri, in what was the first official contact by Damascus with its longtime foe, a Hariri aide in Beirut said.

Assad already congratulated Sleiman on the new cabinet earlier this week.

On Friday, Assad is to visit France, whose ties with Syria have also improved since 2008.